Papi Version Two
by Winekita
Summary: <html><head></head>AR of my Blood of Olympus AE Papi. Set eleven years after the Gaea War. Soon after Rachel suddenly gives a prophecy to Jason and Piper, the Graces are suddenly face-to-face with a miniature version of Leo! But, is it really him? T because adults like to swear. Image is mine.</html>
1. Before You Read Author's Note

**_Papi-Version Two_**

**_So, after reading BoO, I have noticed that I wasn't very far off with how I could bring Tulio and Espie into the universe. I decided I would have two realities for the twins: _Papi_ and this one._**

**Papi_ is an AU where Leo doesn't tell anyone—not even Hazel—about Calypso and survives BoO through the same means as the canon universe, but damages Festus again. So, he rebuilds Festus once more and sets off without telling anybody why and voila! _Papi_ is born!_**

**_This version will follow the canon universe better. Since BoO is new, I don't recommend you read this until you read the VERY LAST CHAPTER in BoO. Then, feel free to read this._**

**_The whole 'only five years and then return' thing I made in _Papi_ does not exist here, but the adventures in Europe do. So, if you would like to see a little bit of their European holiday, I suggest looking at _Papi_ chapters I Remember and My Big Fat Latino-Greek Wedding. Maybe one day, I'll post a story about their holiday :)_**

**_Anyway, the other stories I have up regarding the Valdez family (How Hot am I and The Keys) will be unaffected by this change. The Valdez family will still end up in New Athens, I just might get creative with how the others find out :D It won't be like _Papi_ in the reunion. I'll think of something new, just for this :D_**

**_So, with that in mind, please stand by as I create _Papi_'s AR according to Blood of Olympus. The plot will obviously not be the same since Leo is with Calypso all the time now. Let's see what I can come up with :)_**


	2. Prologue

**_Phew, OK! I finally got satisfied with a damn PROLOGUE for this godsforsaken rewrite! xD Bear with me, cause I'm still bouncing ideas around in my head for a main plot line at the moment. I'll let you know when something comes up :3_**

**_**_Adult themes right off the bat. Wanna know where babies come from? I still tried to keep this T-rated, don't worry. And if you have a complaint, go watch That 70's Show, which has waaay more content about babeh shtuff. And I watched that as a PRE-teen._**_**

**_**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon._**_**

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><p><strong><em>Prologue<em>**

Calypso flipped through the pages of a random auto magazine. There wasn't any reason to, it was just the first thing she saw on the bedside table.

"A-_hem_."

She glanced up, cocked and eyebrow and smiled.

Her husband was strutting out of their hotel bathroom. All he had on was a white towel covering his lower body down to his knees. His curly black hair was plastered to his head, mainly because he didn't dry it. He paused and posed glamorously next to the wall, showing off his growing muscles.

"What are you doing, you great buffoon?" Calypso teased playfully. "You'll get the floor moldy. Hotel staff won't appreciate it."

Leo Valdez grinned like he had an evil plan. He flew at the Titaness with great speed. She squealed and tried to fight him off, ultimately ending up drenched.

The final position was him straddling her on the bed, his towel barely hanging on for dear life around his hips. His strong, calloused hands were placed on either side of her head.

His brown eyes locked with hers. A smirk played on his lips.

Calypso huffed in annoyance. "Get up. You've got me soaked now."

"You don't wanna play?" he begged.

"Get off, idiot," she growled. "We had fun last night."

"But it's the day I turn 21 ½," he whined.

"So?"

"So?!" he exclaimed. "Don't you know there's a huge tradition about celebrating one's 21st-and-a-half birthday? I thought I explained it to you!"

Calypso rolled her eyes. "You tried that trick on me last year. Not this year."

Leo pouted, but still planted a few kisses on her neck. Calypso smiled. She knew he wouldn't press on any further. Besides, she was still a little sore from last night's romp. Her husband would have to deal with it.

They had married a little after Leo's 20th birthday, but calling Leo her husband was still somewhat of a pleasant surprise every time she said it. Six and a half years ago she wouldn't have thought that the sarcastic and scrawny son of Hephaestus would even be the subject of her _love_, let alone be her husband!

Leo finally pushed himself off the bed. His towel slipped off completely, revealing him in all his glory. He didn't pick it back up. Instead, he wiggled his (very _nice_-looking, she might add) ass around as he strutted towards the closet.

"Just letting you know what you're missing," he informed her with an impish grin.

Oh, it was tempting, don't get her wrong. Calypso wanted nothing more than to show Leo how much she loved him again. But, she didn't want to right now or anytime in the near future.

It wasn't _just_ because she was sore. Normally she didn't care and went for the handsome Latino like a tiger after its prey.

No, this time, she was sensing something that made her want to be gentle. Something that she needed to care for. _For nine months_.

Yes, Calypso was pregnant. Being a Titan, she knew this without having to take a pregnancy test. Yes, she was still immortal—her leaving Ogygia apparently hadn't changed that fact, but she desperately hoped that she could appeal to the Olympians to let her become mortal soon.

She would appeal _after_ she had this baby, though. She didn't want to risk the child's life if turning mortal ended up hurting her too much.

Oh, by the way, she knew this baby didn't come from _last night's_ 'fun time'. It wasn't like she and Leo were a boring couple. They spiced up their relationship every once in a while. No, the baby probably came from a romp a few weeks back.

Regardless, she would have to tell Leo eventually, or else he might just make fun of her for getting fat later on—yeah, that would be just like him.

Leo zipped up a pair of jeans and tugged on some suspenders. Why he chose to don suspenders over wearing a belt, Calypso had no idea. Seemed an odd fashion statement, but _damn_ did he look good in those suspenders—especially when he didn't wear a shirt.

"Leo," she began, trying to keep her voice ready. "I've been thinking."

"'Bout what, _mi sol_?" he asked as he sat down on the dry side of the bed.

Calypso twirled a finger through her hair. "I've been thinking…I want to leave Europe now."

Leo smiled. "Alright." He held up the golden unlimited funds credit card Hermes had given him soon after he had rescued Calypso. "Wanna get some plane tickets for Asia? We could travel through China for a while. Or we could fly on Festus and try for some South Africa stuff? Or maybe—"

"I meant I want to go to America," she decided.

Leo paused. She studied his reaction, but he seemed to hold her gaze with an emotionless stare. She continued, "I mean it. I'd like to go to America. Not to visit, either; I wanna settle down, Leo."

Her husband tilted his head. "Settle down? As in…get a house…and a job and…?"

"And have children," she finished for him, smiling.

Leo's hair ignited. "K-Kids?"

Calypso nodded. "Yes, Leo. _Kids_. I would love to have children with you."

Leo looked down nervously. "You sure? I…I'm not really a…_kid_ person. I feel like I'd take after Dad on that particular front…"

Calypso leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You would make a _great_ father, Leo. I know this because unlike Hephaestus, you'll actually be there for your kids."

He looked at her, his eyes full of worry. "I don't know…I don't wanna let them down…"

"You won't," she promised.

"Why are you bringing this up, anyway?" he asked, clearly flustered. "It's way too soon in our marriage to be thinking about that kinda stuff, isn't it? House and job, sure I can go for that. But _kids_? I'm only 21!"

Calypso smiled knowingly. "You might be young, but you are strong and capable." She took his hand in hers and placed it gently on her stomach. "You will make an _excellent_ father, Leo Valdez."

Leo gazed at where his hand rested. His eyes widened and started tearing. His lower lip trembled. "Oh," he managed. "_That's_ why you brought it up…"

She giggled and kissed his nose. "Yes. Are you okay with this?"

Leo kept looking at her stomach. Soon, Calypso could feel his hand stroking her belly gently, like he was already trying to feel the baby. A small smile crept up on his face.

Calypso scooted over and sat on his lap. He gently grabbed her midsection and started rocking back and forth.

"I'll try," he mumbled through her shoulder. "I'm gonna try to be a good _Papi_ for this little guy."

She smiled. "And I don't expect anything more. Now, about where we're going…?"

Leo, still rocking back and forth on the bed with Calypso in his lap, hesitated. "I…It's been six years since…since the war. Not once have I contacted them."

"By 'them', you mean the rest of the Seven?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I guess they think I'm dead now…"

"We could move to New York and be near them," she suggested. "Then you could be together again."

Leo shook his head. "No. I don't feel ready for that. I don't want to…to go there and find out…" He sniffled and didn't finish.

Calypso felt tears drip onto her shoulder. She sighed. They'd had this conversation a grand total of two times, present time not included. And both times Leo had broken down crying because he didn't want to go to New York and find out Jason and Piper hadn't made it out before Leo went all kamikaze on Gaea. He was already dealing with annual nightmares about dying. He didn't want to put Jason and Piper in them as well…

"Well then," she tried. "What about somewhere your friends won't be? Why not this Houston you keep telling me about?"

He lifted his head a little to rest his chin on her shoulder. "That was where my mother died…and where the remainder of my…" he grimaced. "…_family_ resides."

"You don't have to visit that awful aunt of yours," Calypso offered. "And if your mother's grave is there, I would think you'd like to settle back down near her, now that you've gotten your revenge on Gaea for her."

Leo pondered this.

Calypso continued, "Think of it as a little closure. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again. And I'd love to meet her."

Leo smiled. "Houston…huh…yeah, I think we could make that work. Fine, we'll move to Houston!"

Calypso tilted her head and kissed him passionately. "I can see it now: _Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters_ in Houston, Texas."

"Family-run, of course," Leo offered. "Just like my _bisabuelo_'s old garage, I'm gonna teach this kid everything I know! Screw gender biases! Girls are great at repair jobs, too!"

She giggled. "Or they could provide entertainment," she put in. "Make it a duet with me while you work on customers' agendas."

"Nah," he said. "Dirty hands, all the way, _mi _sol. Our kid is gonna be the greatest mechanic you've ever seen—third only to me and Hephaestus, of course."

They both laughed. Leo sounded much more relaxed about having a kid, now. Calypso knew he was going to be nervous when the time came to really step up, but they would get through it together.

He was going to be a great _Papi_ one day…

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hee. Nice and fluffy beginning :3 Who could ever ask for more?**_

_**No, Calypso doesn't know it's twins yet. It's too early to tell.**_

_**For anyone who just read that comment and was like, 'way to spoil the fact that it's twins, Black!' well you need to look at the other fics I have. Or at the cover image. Tulio and Espie are the oldest of the Valdez children, after all :) Tulio's still named after the waiter, btw xD**_


	3. Eleven Years Later

**_**_Oh, yay! Another chapter! This one is kinda filler, and I wanted to elaborate on New Athens a bit more since I didn't do that in _**_**Papi_. I also wanted to show that Jason's work probably won't be finished even so long after the war. There's a lot of gods/goddesses out there that demand recognition after all. :P_****

****_Originally, this story was gonna be set eight years after the war, like _Papi_, but then I was like 'Nah! Let's make it longer!' ;P So, now it's eleven years. To clear things up, Leo is almost 26 (b-day some time in the end of August is my theory) and the twins are almost 4 (Nov. 11)._****

****_Math is hard, okay? I had to sit and think about this since there's a specific time in this story, whereas _Papi_ could have been anytime..._****

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine._**

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><p><strong><em>Eleven Years Later<em>**

Jason Grace pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed. "Yeah, I guess that would be the logical place to put it," he conceded to Malcom, an older son of Athena.

Malcom smiled. "I thought that would be a great idea. I mean, she is a sea goddess, and putting her shrine in the Poseidon Gardens seemed the best answer."

"Just don't put it too close to Poseidon's," Jason warned. "Some minors don't like him very much and they get picky about their shrine placement!"

Malcom was already walking away. He waved his hand to let Jason know the son of Jupiter was heard.

Jason sighed and started walking in a different direction.

Right now he was on a random street in New Athens—a recently built city next to Camp Half-Blood. New Athens was the Greek version of New Rome without the Terminus statue. The Greeks had wanted their own safe city, so Annabeth and the other Athena campers had built it while Chiron got the borders extended for it. They had wanted a safe haven to grow up in just like the Romans, so the gods granted permission to build it.

As a result, Jason's plans to build shrines for _every_ god/goddess fell into building them in New Athens, since Camp was only so big. Not every god got a Cabin, since they didn't have mortal children, but Annabeth had supervised the building of temporary cabins. If, say, Kym decided she wanted to have a demigod and sent them to Camp, a Cabin would pop up in her honor until the demigod died or moved to New Athens. That was a gigantic space-saver!

Jason checked his watch. He didn't look at it for the time, but rather to check the date.

_July 29th_

The son of Jupiter sighed. In two days it would have been eleven years. Eleven years since Gaea's consciousness was destroyed. Eleven years since the Seven destroyed all the Giants. Eleven years since the Athena Parthenos was brought to Camp and erected in what was now the New Athens Gateway Square.

And eleven years since Leo Valdez died.

Thinking about his old friend made Jason's heart clench. Even after so long, he still couldn't accept Leo being dead. Nico di Angelo himself had said Leo had died, but Jason could never accept it—and neither could his wife, Piper.

Jason rubbed his head and looked around. He had subconsciously traveled to Hero Plaza—a whole cul-de-sac of statues dedicated to the Seven, Nico, and Reyna. Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Nico, Reyna, Piper, and himself, in their teenage years, were forever standing in a circle, made of perfectly carved marble, facing out. Jason wondered how the carvers had gotten such a perfect likeness. The marble statues almost looked as if they would walk off their pedestals.

Percy was standing with Riptide in one hand, a look of determination on his face. Marble water flowed at his feet. He was wearing Praetor robes, even though he was Praetor for literally a day. The Romans had insisted that his statue honor that title.

Annabeth had her ivory sword attached to her hip, an owl perched on her shoulder, and Daedalus's laptop casually held in her hand. Her expression was calm and cool, just like an Athena child should be.

Frank had a bow in one hand, his quiver slung over his shoulder. His statue had him dressed in his Praetor robes.

Hazel's statue had bits of diamonds and gold encrusted within the marble. She was riding atop Arion. Jason had no idea if Hazel had to pose for that on Arion himself or if she had gotten a random horse to do that.

Reyna was also in her Praetor robes, standing in between her two dogs Argentum and Aurum. Her spear was held high and her face was determined and hard.

Nico was still in his aviator's jacket. His sword was made of black marble, unlike the rest of him and the other statues. All around his feet were marble skeletons clawing out of the ground. It was immensely scary to even look at his statue.

Piper held her dagger, Katropis, in her left hand. Her right hand was placed on her hip, giving her a sassy look, which Jason appreciated. Feathers were braided into her hair, with no small detail overlooked.

Jason's statue was of him in his _Pontifex Maximus_ robes holding his spear up high, marble lightning coming off the tip. He had this weird battle cry thing going on, which Jason thought was kinda cool…but it didn't really capture him that well. Oh well…Jason figured if he was going to be remembered, he'd rather be remembered for a war cry than for awful acne…

The best statue, though, was Leo's.

The fifteen-year-old son of Hephaestus eternally stood in the center of the plaza. He had the biggest grin on his face, looking like he was about to pull a prank. In one hand he held a hammer—one of his favorite things to swing around. His other hand was balled into a fist at shoulder height, marble flames encircling it. How they had gotten that effect, Jason would never know. Standing behind Leo was a half-size marble Festus with flared wings breathing marble flames. The Hephaestus Cabin had been very picky about the carvers getting Festus _just right_, so as not to anger Leo's spirit (because Leo would definitely worry about Festus's looks rather than his own).

On Leo's pedestal was a bronze plaque that read in ancient Greek:

**_Hero Plaza is hereby dedicated to Leo Valdez, Son of Hephaestus_**

**_Supreme Commander and Head Builder of the _Argo II**

**_Head Counselor of Cabin Nine_**

**_Master of Festus the Dragon_**

_"Commander Tool Belt"_

_"Bad Boy Supreme"_

_"Super-Sized McShizzle"_

**_~Destroyer of Gaea~_**

Jason looked at the plaque and smiled. He and Piper had insisted on the Commander Tool Belt, Bad Boy and McShizzle titles. Leo wouldn't want his plaque to be boring. He gazed up at Leo's marble grin and felt a tear run down his cheek.

"I miss you, Leo," he whispered into the wind.

Even now, he expected the statue to come to life, ending up being Leo painted up like marble with him yelling, "_Gotcha! Had you goin', didn't I?_"

But that wouldn't happen, no matter how much Jason wanted it to. And that made him even sadder.

"We all miss him, y'know."

Jason jumped at the sudden voice. He turned and saw Harley standing there. Harley was Leo's brother, a whole seven years younger than him, and was the current head counselor for Cabin Nine. The younger son of Hephaestus had taken it upon himself to act like Leo to lighten everyone's mood. At first, it seemed inappropriate, but Jason appreciated it regardless. Harley's nickname was Harleo, given that he acted like Leo more often than not nowadays.

But today Harley wasn't smiling. He seemed rather distant as he stared up at the statue.

"Hey, Harley," Jason greeted. "What are you doing here?"

The son of Hephaestus shrugged. "Just visiting Leo's statue before I get going."

"You got a quest?"

"Wendy did," Harley said. Wendy Black was the current head counselor for the Hecate Cabin. "She chose her satyr friend Fredrick and me to go with her. There's a hydra problem down in Huntsville, Texas. Dunno why she wanted me to come along, but I don't mind. It's my last year as a camper before I move into New Athens permanently with you guys. I might as well see it off with one last quest."

"Then why are you here and not back in Camp?"

Harley looked at him sadly. "I always come here before a quest. I pray to him in Elysium, hoping that he's…proud…of me…"

Jason clapped the nineteen-year-old on the back. "I bet he's beaming down there right now, telling his mom what a great brother you are."

Harley grinned. "Yeah." Then, his grin vanished again as the teen looked up at Leo's statue. "I just wish…I wish he didn't have to sacrifice himself. I wish it didn't have to be him…"

Jason nodded. "It had to be done, though. It's Leo we're talking about. He wouldn't have let anyone else sacrifice themselves if there was a choice between them and him."

Harley sighed. "Yeah, I know…" He checked his watch. "Well, I guess I should get going!"

He turned one last time towards Leo. "Take care, bro. Wish me luck."

And with that, Harley left. Jason sighed and went a different direction.

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><p>Eventually Jason ended up at his home. Though Jason traveled between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter to oversee shrine and cabin construction, Jason preferred to live in New Athens.<p>

He smiled and opened the door, instantly greeted by their almost-three-year-old, Mark. He was _almost_ three because he would actually turn three on August First. Jason and Piper hadn't planned that, it had just happened. Chiron had told them it had to be a sign of things getting better for them if Mark was born on the Feast of Spes.

"Daddy!" Mark exclaimed, his blue eyes shifting in tones excitedly. "Home! Home!"

Jason picked up Mark and said, "Yes, Daddy's home! Where's Mommy?"

Mark pointed in the general direction of the kitchen. Jason smiled and walked that way.

He was greeted with Piper making tofu chicken stir-fry. Jason's stomach grumbled at the prospect of food.

"Hey good lookin'," he joked. "What's cookin'?"

Piper smiled at him. "Hey, Jason. You're home early."

"Not much to work on today," he admitted. "Malcom just needed some insight on where to put the newest of the water gods. I'll have to see how he builds it and make sure the god likes the design so that'll be a chore."

Piper nodded. "Like a son of Athena needs insight from you," she said playfully.

"You're so funny," Jason grumbled. "Almost done with dinner? I'm starving!"

Mark started to wiggle, so Jason put the little guy down. Before Mark took off, Jason managed to ruffle his scruffy brown hair.

"Yeah, I'm almost done," Piper said. "Can you set the table?"

Jason did as he was told. As he set down the last piece of silverware, a knock rapped on the door.

"I'll get it," Jason called.

"Okay," Piper called back.

Jason straightened his clothes a bit and answered the door with a smile.

His smile fell a little when he realized Rachel Elizabeth Dare was standing on his stoop, a semi-worried look on her face.

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><p><em><strong>AN: I FINALLY got something to write about guys! :D I have a plot in my head and ready to be written! Yay!**_

_**And it's so different than original **_**Papi**_** lol :) I'm super happy about this guys! That's why I changed the summary :) No, it's not a baby-Leo story, obviously. I wanna write one of those one day, though!**_

_**Also, did you like the statues thing? In New Athens there's another Plaza dedicated to the ones who died in the Titan War, so don't think I don't care about Beckendorf and Silena. I just imagine there WOULD be a statue erected in honor of Leo, even in New Rome, since he did save the world from the personification of itself. Yes, Jason and Piper helped, but the demigods all agreed that Leo was the one who sacrificed himself and deserved the biggest honor.**_


	4. L&C Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters

**_This was turning out to be a long chapter, so I decided to split it._**

**_Yes, I did change the summary. It'll make more sense in a few chapters. As will me doing this time skip to the next dayish._**

**_Anyway, enjoy this chapter. :)_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine._**

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><p><strong><em>L&amp;C Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters<em>**

"Hang on," the male demigod complained. "I can't…I can't go anymore…"

The satyr who was supporting him huffed, "Good, neither can I…No offense, Harley, but you are one _heavy_ son of Hephaestus."

Harley either didn't hear him or chose not to acknowledge. The satyr sat him down gently on the curb, trying to avoid twisting his bad leg.

Their companion, a female demigod, stood guard. She was extremely tired but knew she was the strongest of the three. The satyr looked at her. "Wendy, can you set up a barrier or something?"

Wendy shook her head. "Or something would be more accurate, Fredrick. How's your leg, Harley?"

"Awful." Harley winced as the satyr tried to apply some nature magic on his mangled leg. They had run out of nectar yesterday when a harpy had punctured Wendy in the arm and shoulder. Then, in Huntsville, they had dealt with a nasty hydra—the point of their quest in the first place—and Harley had the unfortunate luck to get bitten before they destroyed it. They had been running ever since, trying to find a good place to send an Iris Message and get picked up.

Of course, they couldn't really find any water to make a rainbow in the middle of _Texas_. The driest piece of land, and they just had to have their quest lead there…

Harley cried out. Wendy looked at his leg in pain. It wasn't looking good. The hydra bite wasn't poisonous, thank the gods, but it had still ruined the leg. Wendy was afraid Harley might have to lose it if he didn't get help soon.

Footsteps echoed down the road. The satyr bleated, "Hydra!"

"Again?" Harley groaned. "We barely killed the last one."

A tall, lanky man rounded the corner about fifty feet away. Wendy drew her sword, which didn't even look like a sword anymore it was so bent and out of shape. Still, it sent the message through clear enough.

The man halted and raised his hands. "Easy," he said. "I mean no harm!"

"You're a monster," Wendy snarled. "If you weren't you wouldn't be able to see the sword!"

The man tilted his head. "Well, duh. But, I'm not here for you. I was just on my way to see a good friend of mine."

He glanced over at Harley and the satyr.

"Oh," he said sadly. Wendy couldn't tell if it was fake. "I see. One of my cousins, eh? Now I see why you're so quick to judge…"

Wendy kept her sword up. "You got two choices: Get lost or go to Tartarus."

The man shivered. "No thanks to both. Tartarus monsters don't really like it when publicly-announced-vegetarians get thrown down there. We vegetarians are horribly discriminated against! It's not fair!"

"V-Vegetarian?" the satyr asked warily. "You're a _vegetarian_!?"

The man shrugged. "Yeah. Why do you think I haven't attacked you? I could smell that boy's blood halfway across Houston if I really tried. But," he turned a sickly shade of green, "blood makes me…nauseous…"

"Yeah right," Wendy spat. "Why should we believe you?"

He looked her right in the eye. Then, he turned to the side and walked away. "I don't have time for this," he announced. "Your friend is hurt. I know someone who'd be willing to help."

"Who?"

The man pointed to the place sitting across from them. It was an auto shop, by the looks of it, which was connected to a two-story building; Wendy figured that must be a house. A non-neon sign was hanging on the outer wall of the shop: **_L&C Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters_**

"He can repair your sword," the man said. "And then his wife can help heal your friend's leg. Tell 'em Steve says hi, since you're not willing to let me go near. And I was so hoping to get a couple tofu burgers today…"

With that, he turned the corner and left. The satyr sniffed the air and sighed in relief. "He's actually gone."

Harley relaxed. "Good."

They all turned toward the shop.

"Do we trust that guy?" Harley asked.

"He said he was vegetarian and walked off without even glancing our way hungrily," Fredrick bleated. "If he was going to eat us, he would've at least shown it in the eyes. I saw his eyes. He was legitimately sick from looking at you, Harley."

Wendy narrowed her eyes. "I'll go in and see about this 'help'. If it's safe I'll come back and get you. Wait here."

"Not like I was going anywhere," Harley complained as she walked over to the shop.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Wendy was greeted with a small waiting room with four chairs lined against the right wall. To the left was a door. In front of her was a receptionist desk with a swinging door behind that. The door probably led to the shop, of which Wendy had no doubt.

She walked up to the desk and saw the sign next to a little bell that said, **_Ring for assistance_**.

Wendy rang the bell and waited.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a Latino man strode out, wiping his hands on a dirty rag.

"Hey there," he greeted with an impish smile. It kind of scared Wendy, so her guard went up. "How can I help you—oh, Styx, what the Hades did you do to that sword!?"

Wendy held up the sword she was carrying. He snatched it up quickly, examining it.

"What on Earth did you do to this thing!?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with exaggerated grief.

"Oh, you know," Wendy said nervously. "Hydras can be pretty tough to kill."

The man glanced up. "Not Steve, I hope? He's good people!"

Wendy narrowed her eyes. "So, he really is a friend of yours?"

"Of course. He likes my tofu burgers and sometimes he needs something repaired. You didn't kill him did you?"

Wendy shook her head. "Different hydra a couple towns over," she explained. "So, how long will it take to fix my sword?"

The young Latino man gazed back at the damaged sword. It was dented and bent out of shape, still covered in monster dust.

He shrugged. "Gimme, like, an hour."

Wendy grinned. "Really? You can fix it that fast?"

"Of course! What do you take me for, some random guy who _thinks_ he knows what he's doing?"

She shuffled her feet. "No, it's just…I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here. There aren't usually demigods located this far away from the camps. Especially children of Hephaestus or Vulcan, since they like to stick together."

He shrugged again. "I'm more of a free-lancer, you might say."

"Seriously, though," she said. "Thank you! Who are you, anyway?"

He held out his hand. She shook it. "You can call me the Ultimate Repair Boy."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," she said, still smiling even though he avoided giving his name. Something was picking at her brain, though. She felt like she knew who this man was. "My name's Wendy. I'm a daughter of Hecate."

"Ah, a Greek," he speculated. "Nice to meet you too. And you were right. I _am_ a son of Hephaestus."

Wendy nodded. _A son of Hephaestus, huh…where have I seen this guy before?_

She studied the man. He was pretty short, just a few inches taller than her at the moment. He had deep brown eyes and longish curly black hair that reached his shoulders. His jaw was lined with stubble, as was his top lip. It was a really handsome look, especially when it was coupled with the semi-muscular body. From what Wendy could gather, Hephaestus kids were really burly and muscular. This guy, however, had just the right amount of muscle in his arms (more accurately his biceps) and broad chest.

Something about this guy just screamed, _You know him!_ But she couldn't place what it was.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," the Latino said. "I'll go ahead and patch this up. If you like, you can wait over in the next room with your friends. I'm sure my wife will help you out."

"Y-You know about…?"

"Hey," he said, gesturing to the security camera in the room. Wendy figured he must have one outside. "I gotta keep alert somehow. And I know your friend is having problems with his leg. My wife's an awesome healer; she'll help you out."

Wendy nodded as the 'Ultimate Repair Boy' turned and went through the swinging doors that led into his shop and forge.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Get ready, I'll update really soon.**_

_**Yeah, Wendy doesn't recognize our favorite repair boy. Unlike Harley, she doesn't visit Hero Plaza very often. She's just a summer camper that doesn't go into New Athens very much.**_

_**To all you Harley fans...be prepared. D: I'm kinda mean to him in this story...**_


	5. Losing Things

**_Now you see why I split it up into two chapters. It would have been unbearably long otherwise._**

**_I'm kinda mean to Harley in this version, and I'm sorry about that. It's just the whim of the Muses with me. It felt right..._**

**_Catsrawesome: you know the state :3 Here's my proposal: I update as long as you update Flame Guardian (PS other readers, read that it's awesome). I wanna know what happens in that story the same as you wanna know what happens in mine. Mwa ha ha. :D_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Losing Things<em>**

"Goodness, you've really had a fun time with Steve's cousins, haven't you?"

Harley yelped in pain as the woman examined his wound. She ignored his yelp and started scraping off the puss and infected scabs. Her almond-colored eyes flashed in fear as she examined it further. Harley sank lower into the bed, looking weak.

Wendy stood nearby, trying not to watch. She had never meant for Harley to get hurt on this trip. She wouldn't have brought him at all, if not for her prophecy.

Just two days ago she had received a prophecy from Rachel when the Camp got a request to destroy the hydra that was causing too much trouble in Huntsville, Texas.

**_A Daughter of Magic slays evil in the land of heat,_**

**_With the son of Fire losing what he does not need._**

**_A secret she discovers, yet does not know_**

**_Until two out of three return safely home._**

The prophecy had made her nervous. She could have chosen any other son of Hephaestus, but for some reason Harley had been the one to pop into her mind. She didn't much care one way or the other for the head counselor of the Hephaestus Cabin (she had a love interest with a guy in the Apollo Cabin), so why had he come to mind?

Harley was about to lose something he didn't need. Wendy didn't know what that was, but hoped to the gods that didn't mean his life. One kinda needs that, right?

And then there was the last line: _Until two out of three return safely home_. Judging by how bad Harley's wound had gotten, it was looking like Wendy and Fredrick would have to leave him behind. She hoped it didn't mean killing him, just leaving him here, maybe to recover?

The woman sighed loudly and ran a hand through her cinnamon hair. She looked at Wendy with worried eyes.

"I'm going to need you to go into the shop and ask my husband for…Number 368," she ordered Wendy. She looked at Harley's leg for a moment in thought. "Yes, 368 should be the right size. If it's not, he'll have to correct."

"Size?" Wendy said.

"Go," the woman barked. Wendy thought she saw a murderous aura rise up around her, so the daughter of Hecate fled the room.

She immediately rushed through the waiting room and entered the shop on the other side of the swinging door.

It was a pretty big machine shop. Various cars, mechanical devices, household appliances and other sorts of do-dads were strewn about the place. It kinda seemed cluttered, but Wendy figured this guy must be an 'organized mess' kinda guy.

Wendy heard banging coming from the back, so she followed her ears. In the back of the shop was the entrance to a forge not unlike the one in Camp Half-Blood. Just like the shop, there were various things littering the place; swords, axes, shields, an automaton or two…

Steam was blown into her face and she leapt back. A huge bronze dragon head invaded her space, its teeth rotating and ruby eyes staring her down. Wendy could see tubes and cords attached to its head. They snaked around the body (which, by the way, was as big as an eighteen-wheeler) and hooked up to about thirty different television screens. The screens, she realized, were displaying footage from security cameras outside.

The dragon began growling and snarling.

"Heel, Festus!"

The dragon—Festus?—grumbled and retreated back towards the screens. Its ruby eyes were still locked onto Wendy.

The daughter of Hecate sighed in relief when she saw the man from earlier. His arms were covered in soot, as was some of his face. He crossed his muscular arms in annoyance.

"Why are you back here? I told you to wait with—"

"She told me to come get Number 368?" Wendy blurted out.

He cocked an eyebrow in concern. Then, he turned his head to the side. "Tulio!" he screamed.

And out from under the table nearest to the door came a little Latino boy that looked like a miniature version of Repair Boy, only with almond-colored eyes. He wore soot-covered overalls and a **_Kiss the Mechanic_** shirt. He was little, probably just under four, perhaps? The boy toddled up to the man.

"Hi, _Papi_," he said innocently, grinning like an imp.

The man bent down to get eye-level with Tulio. "Wanna practice your numbers, _mijo_?"

Tulio nodded furiously. "Yes!"

"3.6.8," the man said slowly. "Go find it, please."

The boy waddled off to a shelf with a bunch of small boxes. He peered at the various boxes, looking at his hands from time to time, counting the numbers on his chubby fingers. He finally beamed and yelled, "Found it!"

He grabbed the box and ran back over at full speed. The older Latino immediately took it from him and scolded, "What did _Papi_ say about running in the forge?"

Tulio deflated some and scuffled his feet. "No do?"

"That's right." He examined the box. "Good job on your numbers, though, _mijo_. You got it right!"

The boy grinned again. Then, he turned around and toddled over to the dragon. The dragon nudged him, making him fall over onto his butt. Tulio just laughed.

The man gave Wendy the box with a sad expression. "Unless my wife truly needs you present, you and your satyr friend might want to stay in the shop or waiting room. If she needs _this_, then it's about to get really loud in her room. Good luck."

Wendy didn't know what that meant. She speed-walked back out of the shop, through the waiting room and into the spare healing area. All the while she kept thinking, _What could be in this tiny box? Some sort of potion that's gonna kill Harley? A dagger?_

She stopped when she saw the woman putting a tourniquet onto Harley's thigh, just above the knee. Fredrick was in the corner, tears streaming down his face. Harley was unconscious and pale, his breathing shallow. The woman's eyes flickered to his face momentarily before she called over her shoulder, "Espie!"

Wendy gasped when a little Hispanic girl toddled out from behind one of the beds. She looked exactly like the man and Tulio, but had longer curly hair tied up in two ponytails. Wendy couldn't believe it. _Twins! They have twins!?_

The girl came up to her mother with wide eyes.

The woman nodded. "Behind that desk, there, sweetie. Roll out the mask."

"'Kay," she said.

About a minute later, little Espie was pushing out a cart with oxygen tanks on it. Attached to the tanks was a mask.

Wendy looked at that and back at Harley's leg. She forced back the bile in her throat when she realized what was about to happen.

The woman looked up at Wendy, took the small box, and said, "Take your satyr friend and my daughter into the shop. I can handle your friend here. I'll come get you when we're done."

Fredrick, still sobbing, trotted out of the room with the girl in tow. Wendy stayed behind a minute longer. She asked, "Will he be okay?"

The woman looked up at her. She gave a small smile. "I can't heal everything, my dear. Especially this late in the game. However, I can fix the problem before he goes into shock. When this is over, he will be _okay_ in a sense. I can't speak for his psyche."

Wendy nodded. _Please be okay, Harley._ She prayed to her mother and Harley's father that he would survive this and come out strong.

* * *

><p>It seemed like only minutes later when the woman came into the waiting room. She had a smile on her face.<p>

"Alright," she said brightly. "Your friend got through nicely. He's in recovery at the moment."

Fredrick shivered. "You sure he'll be okay?"

Wendy gripped his shoulder. The woman nodded. "Of course. Care to see?"

They were led back into the healing room. Harley was lying in the bed, wearing the oxygen mask. He wasn't pale, and seemed to be breathing steadily—though that was probably due to the mask. A clean white blanket tucked him into the bed.

Wendy came closer. She brushed a lock of blonde hair out of the son of Hephaestus's face. Harley opened his eyes and groggily looked at her.

"Hey," he groaned through his mask. "What goes on?"

Wendy smiled. "You feeling okay?"

Harley lifted up the blanket. Wendy tried not to gasp at the automaton leg that had replaced his actual right leg.

"So that's what was in the box," she said to herself. _The leg must have been collapsible in the box…_

Harley groaned. "Feels weird," he commented, wiggling the false leg around tentatively.

"You'll get used to it," the woman said. She patted Harley on the chest lightly. "I've had to replace a few limbs over the years. All the customers say it quickly feels like a real limb. My husband made them, of course. He is the best blacksmith I know. Second only to his father, Hephaestus."

Harley grinned. "I know a couple of my brothers are probably rolling in their graves right now. They were the best in my book, and one of them I didn't even know."

The woman smiled. "And who would they be?"

"Charles Beckendorf," Harley said through a yawn. "Died in the Titan War…and…" He yawned again. "Why am I so tired?"

"Sorry, just one of my herbal remedies. Don't freak out. It's just helping your body adjust. You'll wake up in a few hours."

Harley nodded, his eyes closing. "What was I…saying…again?"

Before Wendy could even protest, Harley snored.

The woman giggled. "Like I said; He'll be fine. Children of Hephaestus usually cope better when it comes to false limbs."

Fredrick sighed in relief. "At least it wasn't his hands. Poor Harley might have gone into a depression."

Wendy snapped. "That's the line! _Son of Fire loses what he does not need_! Harley lost his leg, but he didn't really need it like he needs his hands."

The satyr nodded. "I guess so. At least he didn't die."

Wendy turned to the woman. "Thank you so much, ma'am! You've no idea how grateful we are. We might have lost Harley if not for you and your husband."

She smiled. "Oh, it's no trouble, sweetie. We rarely get young questers, so don't think we'll charge you. We only charge the demigods that live around here. And by the way, you can call me Calypso."

Fredrick froze. He stared at Calypso with shocked, wide eyes. "C-Calypso?" he stammered. "As in…the _Titan_ Calypso? Daughter of Atlas Calypso?"

She curtseyed. "The one and only."

Wendy looked at the satyr for explanation. He said quickly, "She's a third generation Titan that was exiled to an island for supporting Atlas during the first Titan War. Percy Jackson made the gods free her after she helped him during the Second Titan War!"

The daughter of Hecate looked at Calypso in awe. "A Titan? But, why would you help us?"

Calypso smiled. "It's my nature. I got my grandfather Iapetus's talent for healing, not my father Atlas's talent for destroying. When someone is in trouble, I feel inclined to help."

"But I thought immortals couldn't directly interfere with our lives?"

She rolled her eyes. "Zeus never made me swear that oath. Besides, I'm looking to get my immortality revoked soon."

Fredrick's eyes widened. "But why!? Why would you want to become mortal?"

Calypso sighed. "Would you want to watch as your husband and children grew old and died while you stayed young? After three thousand years alone on an island, my husband was the only hero to actually save me. Percy Jackson made the gods promise to free me, but I still had to have someone offer to take me away. I don't want to suffer an eternity of loneliness after my hero dies. I want to die with him."

Wendy nodded. "I understand. But why haven't you turned mortal yet?"

"Dunno," she said, shrugging. "I appealed a little after the twins were born, but there hasn't been an official vote yet. I got a letter a few days ago saying that they would vote today or tomorrow."

"What happens if they refuse to turn you mortal?"

She shrugged. "Appeal again? I don't see why they would refuse. One less Titan to worry about, if you ask me. I'm not that worried about it, anyway. Now if it was my husband wanting to become _immortal_ then they would probably not consider it."

"Why's that?" Fredrick asked.

Calypso smiled. "He has this grand ability to annoy others. Very few people understand his sense of humor."

Wendy thought back to the times she had spoken with him. "That guy has a sense of humor?"

Calypso nodded. "You're catching him on a bad spell. August 1st isn't his favorite day of the year."

Wendy didn't press further. It sounded like they were getting into personal territory and she didn't want to impose. So, she changed the subject: "When will Harley be fit for travel?"

Calypso cocked an eyebrow. "Not for at least a few days. Then he's got to get used to that leg. My husband will keep him busy, don't you worry."

Fredrick sighed. "The last line, Wendy. _When two out of three return safely home_. It means we have to leave Harley here."

"But then how will he get back home?" Wendy asked.

Calypso coughed. "Hello? Titan, here? Remember? If I haven't turned mortal by the time he's ready to go, I'll teleport him back to camp."

"And if you do turn mortal?"

"Then I'll let him Iris Message Chiron and have you guys send a pegasus over to pick him up."

Calypso rose and started packing away her herbs. "Now, when your sword is done, I'll go ahead and teleport you to Camp. Greek, right?"

Wendy nodded.

"Alright, then." Calypso smiled and took up Espie in her arms. "You guys can wait in here. I need to set the twins down for a nap. Then I'll come back with some cider and stew, if you like."

Wendy didn't realize how hungry she was. She nodded vigorously.

Fredrick said, "Any chance I could get some scrap silverware to nibble on?"

Calypso smiled. "I've got a few tofu burgers, if you like."

The satyr brightened. "That sounds great!"

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Calypso had transported the duo back to camp after they said good-bye to Harley, who fell asleep again shortly after.<p>

Her husband wrapped his strong arms around her waist from behind. She giggled as he kissed her shoulder.

"You're dirty," she pointed out.

"You're beautiful," he retorted. "The kids asleep?"

"Of course, and so is our guest." Calypso let him poke his head into the healing room.

Harley was sound asleep again, drugged by her herbs. Her husband froze when he saw the teen.

"Is that Harley?"

"You know him, Leo?" Calypso asked.

Leo smiled sadly. "He was my youngest brother when I was in camp. I can't believe how much he's grown. It's too bad he needed one of my automaton limbs."

Calypso kissed him. "He'll be fine. He's strong like you. Speaking of camp, are you going to let Harley see you?"

Leo hesitated. "I don't know…"

"How about this," she suggested. "Show yourself to Harley at the very least. Make him swear on the River Styx not to tell anyone you're alive or where you are."

Leo's eyebrows furrowed. "I couldn't do that. How much weight would that put on Harley's shoulders?"

Calypso sighed. "You are hopeless, _í̱ro̱as_. Sooner or later you'll have to show them you're alive. The fact that your son of Hades friend hasn't sensed you being alive and telling everyone to search for you is a miracle in itself."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I don't know how to go up to them now. Plus…what if Jason and Piper…?"

Calypso wiped a tear from his cheek. "Don't do that to yourself. Even if they didn't survive, they would never say it was your fault. Just like how your mother would say her death wasn't your fault."

"Bring _that_ up, why don't you?" He chuckled darkly. "Let me think about it—telling Harley, I mean. I guess I at least owe him that much since he's here."

Calypso leaned into kiss her husband again.

Before they could go full make-out, a huge explosion made the building tremble. The wall came crashing down on the two of them.

Calypso used her Titan strength to prevent it completely crushing Leo. She gently set it down when she knew Leo was out of harm's way.

"Thanks, _mi sol_," he said.

Calypso looked over and saw that the healing room was basically unharmed. The waiting room, however, had lost a wall and the shop entrance was covered with rubble.

She exchanged a glance with Leo. "The kids!"

Leo immediately ran through the shop and into the house entrance. Calypso checked Harley again to make sure the younger son of Hephaestus wasn't hurt. He wasn't, thank the gods. Harley hadn't even stirred.

A few minutes later, Leo came back. He was holding a crumpled up piece of paper.

"Take this," he snarled. "And stay away from me for a few minutes."

"Where are the kids?" she asked.

"They were taken," he growled. His hair was beginning to smoke.

Calypso took the paper and watched as Leo ran out the front door, not even bothering to close it.

Calypso read the paper, though it was extremely hard to make out the writing. It was so blotchy and terrible she thought a second grader could do better.

_Dear annoying son of Hephaestus,_

_You killed my children. Seems only right I return the favor. Don't even bother looking for them._

_Ha. Ha._

_-Ma Gasket_

Calypso wanted to scream. Then, she heard one. It was the most devastating scream she'd ever heard in her life, laced with misery and anger.

She looked outside and saw a firestorm blazing on the street, with Leo right in the middle of it. He was crouched on the ground with his head in his hands, screaming at the top of his lungs. The flames just rose higher with every passing minute.

Calypso sat on a still intact chair in the waiting room and cried for her kidnapped babies.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Geeze I'm like a machine with these cliffies.**_

_**No, the above prophecy is not about Leo losing the twins. It was strictly Harley losing his leg. Sorry about that, too. At least Harley's okay, now :D**_


	6. A Big Prophecy and a Little Latino

**_Happy Birthday to my late friend, Ritsuka/Matt and to the U.S. Navy :D_**

**_This one is short and kinda moves by quickly, but I didn't want to drag out the Rachel scene. I wanted to get to the end, so my pacing is a bit off today. I apologize for that._**

**_To make up for it: PROPHECY~! This prophecy isn't quite as vague as original _Papi_'s, but it's two lines longer :) A few of these lines are pretty easy to guess, just like in _Papi_._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Big Prophecy and a Little Latino<em>**

Piper sighed into her book. She just couldn't concentrate.

Just two days ago, Rachel Elizabeth Dare had come to their house.

* * *

><p><em>"Rachel?" Jason said. "Uh, what brings you here?"<em>

_Rachel shrugged. "I just had this feeling. Kinda like how I had that feeling to be in the Hera Cabin."_

_Piper grimaced. "That doesn't sound very good."_

_Jason nodded, picking Mark up and holding him on his hip. "Please don't tell me you feel another 'Juno Hijack' coming on."_

_Rachel shook her head. "No, it doesn't feel like someone wants to hijack me, but…"_

_She froze. Piper knew instantly a prophecy would be coming on. She and Jason backed up as Rachel's mouth began spewing green mist, her eyes glowing eerily._

_Rachel began speaking in her Oracle voice:_

_"_**Two reflections stand alone,**

**One in Greece and one in Rome.**

**The Forge shall search but instantly fails,**

**He must first cope with the Titan's wails.**

**Riches, War, Water, Wisdom, Lightning, and Dove,**

**Are lead to where Forge first found Titan's love.**

**A sacrifice is made to lose forever,**

**Ending with Seven reunited together.**_"_

_She collapsed. Piper caught her before she hit her head on the doorknob._

_Rachel rubbed her head anyway. "Whew. That was a long one."_

_Piper and Jason exchanged a glance. Both of them had paled considerably._

_Rachel caught the glance. "Guys, chill. That didn't feel like a 'Great Prophecy' kinda thing. I've felt that before. This feels like a normal prophecy to me."_

_"It's not that," Piper said. "It's just those lines…the Forge…Seven reunited together…"_

_"You've just spoken a prophecy about Leo," Jason confirmed._

_Rachel gulped. "Then I guess we should go tell Chiron?"_

* * *

><p>All that meeting had done was get everybody suspicious and excited for the possibility of Leo being alive. Chiron didn't like the fact that a Titan was mentioned, though Annabeth had a suspicion that it meant Calypso, the immortal girl Leo had fallen in love with on their quest so long ago.<p>

Chiron had ordered those present to be silent about this prophecy until they had discussed it with the Romans.

So, at the moment, Annabeth was in New Rome, possibly discussing the lines' meanings with Frank and Hazel, possibly Reyna.

It would be the first year the whole group would not be visiting Leo's statue in remembrance. Today was August 1st. Normally, they would all gather around Leo and tell stories, corny jokes, sing cruddy songs…anything to get their spirits up about Leo's death.

As of three years ago, it also became a tradition to celebrate Mark's birthday in that same Plaza.

Piper would still go, as would Jason and Percy (he didn't join Annabeth, since he had to babysit Lacy and Bobby, their 5 year-old and 1 year-old children). Nico would undoubtedly join in, probably dragging his partner Will Solace behind him.

Right now, though, Piper was sitting in one of the park gardens of New Athens (new as it was, New Athens was already a _big_ city with quite a few places to go for a leisurely stroll). She had Mark curled up beside her, sucking his thumb in his sleep. It was still early morning, so little Sora (nickname generously provided by his godfather Percy) was too tired to think about the prospect of a birthday party yet.

Piper brushed a stray lock of shaggy brown hair from his face. She smiled at how handsome her little boy was getting.

Then that thought led back to the prophecy, of course.

_Leo…I wonder, if you're still alive…where are you now? Or if you really did die…did you choose rebirth?_

Piper thought long and hard about that. _Would_ he choose rebirth? If he did, would that mean it would be this new life that they would meet? Or, by 'reunited' did the prophecy mean they would meet his spirit? Or they would die and meet him in Elysium!?

She shook her head. _Don't think too hard about it. It…it might not even _be_ about Leo. The Forge can be any of the Hephaestus campers, right?_

Speaking of whom, Piper noticed Nyssa was headed her way. Normally, on this day, Nyssa coming to Piper wasn't a surprise. They'd share a couple of laughs about his stupid antics.

But Nyssa's face made Piper believe something was up. She was worried, her eyes bulging.

Piper stood up, scooped Mark up into her arms, and met Nyssa halfway.

"What is it?" she asked the daughter of Hephaestus.

"It…" Nyssa hesitated. "I really don't know…I came to you because…maybe you'd know?"

"Know what?"

"Just follow me. Maybe I was just hallucinating."

So Piper followed Nyssa out of the garden park. They went down alleys and random streets, twisting and turning so much that Piper thought she might get lost.

Then they arrived at Hero Plaza.

Piper gasped.

Leo's statue was smoking!

"Is it on fire!?" Piper exclaimed.

Nyssa shook her head. "It's not even warm. I checked. If you go too close you can hear faint screaming."

Piper let Nyssa hold Mark as she shakily stepped forward.

Silence.

She turned back to Nyssa. "I don't hear anything."

Nyssa relaxed, stepping forward. She cupped her ear towards the statue. "Huh. There's no screaming now."

She sighed. "Maybe I was just hearing things…" She shook her head. "Maybe it's this day playing tricks on my mind."

Piper looked back up at the statue. Leo hadn't moved, standing in his cocky Leo-way, his impish grin still plastered on his marble face. The smoke was gone now. It was as if nothing had even happened.

Piper let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "This day is hard on all of us." She looked at her son, still snoozing in Nyssa's arms.

She took Mark and smiled. "But now we have a better thing to remember this day by. We can't let the awful ghosts of the past haunt us forever. Leo wouldn't want us to despair about him anymore."

Nyssa sighed. "You're right. I guess it was just my imagination—the screaming, I mean. But that smoke…"

"That was unsettling," Piper agreed. "We'll talk to Chiron about it later. Until then—"

_POP!_

It was like someone had just popped a bubble, only the sound was intensified by ten-fold. It startled Mark awake—which was a feat, considering he was the heaviest sleeper next to Gaea.

"Mommy?" Mark grumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Bubbles…?"

Piper smiled down at him. "Sorry, sweetie. I don't know where that sound came from."

"I do," Nyssa said.

Piper raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

Nyssa shakily lifted a finger, a look of surprise clear on her face. Piper followed her finger and gaze, turning to look behind her.

She gasped.

There, at the foot of Leo's statue, right in front of the plaque, was a little boy in dirty overalls and a white t-shirt, sleeping in a fetal position. He had curly black hair, which was splayed out on the ground beneath him. His skin was caramel-colored.

"L-Leo…?" she stammered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hmm...curiouser and curiouser...**_


	7. A Big Roman and a Little Latina

**_Short. So very short. But, it gets the job done._**

**_THAT chick brought up an excellent point on my timeline. So, to clear things up, here:_**

**_By ELEVEN YEARS LATER (the title of the first chapter) I meant Eleven years after the war, not the prologue. I thought I had cleared it up within that very chapter when Jason realized it was Eleven years since Leo died, but my mistake. Sorry about the confusion people._**

**_Don't be hating on my flower choices, neither. :I New Rome is WAY prettier than New Athens in my opinion, since they got that Bacchus Garden thing. I decided to let them have their own equivalent to Hero Plaza._**

**_Frank is hard to portray as an adult. Hope I got him right._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>A Big Roman and a Little Latina<em>**

"Daddy, when we go see Mark?"

Frank was strolling down the streets of New Rome, heading for nowhere in particular. Hazel had told him to take Sammy Leo, their son, out for a walk while she discussed the newest prophecy with Annabeth. That prophecy plus Annabeth arguing about its meaning with Hazel _and_ Reyna had given Frank a headache, so he gladly escaped with Sammy in tow.

Sammy Leo was Hazel's pride and joy. He was named firstly for Sammy Valdez and secondly for Leo Valdez. It was actually Frank's idea to name him that, mostly because he thought both Valdezes deserved it.

Frank looked down at his three-year-old, who was currently gazing up at him with large golden orbs. Frank smiled sadly. "We won't be going to Mark's party this year, bud."

"Why," Sammy whined. "I want cake!"

Frank pulled on one of his son's black curls. "Don't whine," he scolded.

Sammy pouted. "Cake," he whimpered.

Frank sighed and picked up Sammy, throwing him in the air and catching him again. Sammy Leo giggled, forgetting all about missing out on cake.

Frank smiled and tickled Sammy in his chubby tummy. "Wanna go see Leo?"

Sammy grinned, one of his front teeth clearly missing. "See Leo! See Leo!"

So, they walked (more like Frank walked and Sammy Leo dangled on his arm like a monkey) to one of the newer additions to New Rome, the Seven Gardens.

Each of the Seven (since Reyna and Nico said one statue in New Athens was enough praise) had a statue just like the ones in New Athens. However, they were placed in a small garden dedicated to each person.

Percy's garden was mainly moonlace surrounding various pools. Exotic fish swam inside the pools under water lilies.

Annabeth's was a bunch of architectural designs miniaturized placed expertly around blocks of white roses.

Hazel's had lilies. Just lilies. She didn't want any homage to her powers other than her statue.

Frank's had a bunch of black-eyed Susan's scattered around his garden, along with a few Daisies. Wasn't very Mars-like, but then again what flower was?

Piper's had Stargazer lilies, but they were engineered to change color based on the lighting and weather. Basically, they matched Piper's kaleidoscope eyes.

Jason's had a bunch of Bird of Paradise flowers. Frank assumed it was because that plant had orange _and_ purple in it, and it was uniquely shaped compared to everyone else's flowers.

Then there was Leo's garden, surrounded by the others.

Leo's statue—similar to the one back in New Athens—was surrounded by specially engineered orange, white, and red roses. Right in front of his statue was a moat of Forget Me Not flowers, all a specific shade of fire-blue. His statue constantly looked like it was surrounded by a small field of flames when the wind was blowing, which was the coolest effect in the world.

When Frank and Sammy entered the gardens, they went straight to Leo's statue. Sammy frolicked around in the field of fire flowers, bouncing and having fun. Frank bent down and bowed his head.

"We miss you, Leo," he prayed. "And…if this prophecy _is_ about you…then please give us a sign. Give us a sign that you're either still alive or that you hear me way down in Elysium. Please…"

Sammy Leo froze suddenly. He stopped giggling and stood perfectly still. Frank turned around to face his son.

Sammy was standing just beyond the statue, facing away from Frank, looking down upon the flowers with interest.

Frank heard little sobs. He crawled on his hands and knees over to Sammy, seeing if he could comfort the legacy.

But Sammy wasn't sobbing. His wide, golden eyes were dry, looking down. Frank followed his gaze and sucked in a breath.

Crouched within the flowers was a small Hispanic girl with curly black hair tied up into two ponytails, each one held with little blue dolphin clips. She wore a pretty red dress and white sandals. She had a Scooby-Doo Band-Aid on her knee.

Her big, deep brown eyes were red and puffy, tears falling down from them. She was trying very hard not to break out into a full-on cry.

Frank reached out a hand to try and help the poor girl. He cooed, "There, there, little girl. It's okay. Let me help you."

Her brown eyes widened and she backed away in fear.

Frank moved a little closer. But he froze when he smelled smoke. Was there a fire nearby?

He got his answer when he reached for the Latina again.

She screamed in terror and burst into flames.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Whoops :P**_


	8. What NOT to Say to a God

**_Geeze this took forever to write. Mostly because I had a bit of writer's block with it. Sorry this story is going so fast, I just don't know how to drag it out further..._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine.  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong><em>What NOT to Say to a God<em>**

Calypso sat in the living room, nervously sewing a patch in one of their bedroom pillows. She had gotten a little upset the night before when Leo had returned empty-handed after searching for hours on Festus, scanning for any Cyclopes or twin activity. The pillow didn't stand a chance.

But its fate was better than that of Leo's pillow. Because he had fire-proofed the house, shop and forge (he didn't want a repeat of his mother's workshop) the pillow withstood the white flames Leo had shot at it. But, because Leo wanted to actually _destroy_ something, he took one of his recently made knives and ripped it to shreds.

Leo was out again today, still searching. Calypso was using her Titan powers to at least watch over him. It was like a security camera kind of power. She would alert him if anything happened while he was away or vice versa.

A tugging at her chest made her pause. She placed her free hand above her heart. It had started happening when she woke up that morning. At first it was just a tingling sensation in her heart. Then it was an annoying feeling.

But now, it was starting to really hurt.

She set the pillow and sewing supplies down and reclined a bit. _You're fine_, she told herself. _It's just the stress. You're just freaking out because your kids have been taken by vengeful Cyclopes._

The pain stabbed her again and she gasped, collapsing onto her side.

"L-Leo…" she moaned. "C-Come home…I need you…"

* * *

><p>Leo was currently flying around Houston's perimeter. He was super pissed off, feeling another firestorm coming on.<p>

It had taken him about an hour to cool down the first time, the fire department having a hand in putting him out (though he made it look like he wasn't in the middle of the blaze) and the police department had to give him a citation because he had started a fire in the middle of the street. He said it was controlled and that no one, not even the houses nearby, got hurt or burned. The fire and police departments would have none of it. And there went $300 right out of his pocket.

Leo took deep breaths and turned Festus to avoid a flock of birds. "Calm down," he told himself. "Getting upset and angry won't find your kids. They need you."

_L-Leo…_

Leo blinked. _That sounded like Calypso. She must be calling me!_

He closed his eyes to get a good fix on his wife's call. So much more efficient than an IM, though only he and Calypso could communicate this way. She couldn't contact anyone else via brain-power.

_C-Come home…I need you…_

Leo turned Festus around and headed inland. Something wasn't right. Calypso sounded hurt, like she was in pain!

"I'm coming, _mi sol_," he said out loud, hoping she heard him.

Within minutes he had landed Festus on his street and ran quickly inside. The moment he burst into his living room, he halted.

Hermes, the god of travelers, messages, and tricksters was kneeling on the floor next to the couch. He had a hand placed on Calypso's head. In his other hand was a wet rag. He was wearing a nice grey business suit with a blue-striped tie.

Calypso was unconscious, her whole body covered in sweat. A blanket was delicately draped over her.

Leo had no idea what to make of this scene, so he said the most intelligent thing possible.

"Fuh?"

Whatever he was going for, Leo couldn't even process it.

Hermes lifted his head and stared at Leo. "Hey, Valdez," he said. "A little tardy to the party, aren't we?"

Leo snapped out of his confusion. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, forgetting that he was speaking to a god. "And what have you done to my wife?"

Hermes cocked an eyebrow. "Well, aren't _you_ a ray of sunshine today? I always saw you as a ball of energy type of guy that never stops smiling."

Leo snarled and stalked over to the god. He lifted the god up by his suit collar and slammed him into the nearest wall. Leo's hair ignited, his hands getting ready to follow suit.

"My children are missing," he growled. "They were taken by Cyclopes and I am doing everything I can to find them. Now my wife is incapacitated and there's a random _trickster_ god in my living room. How can you expect me to be happy-go-lucky Leo at a time like this?"

Hermes grasped Leo's arms with both hands and twisted them. Leo yelped and fell to his knees. Hermes just stood there and calmly said, "Careful, Leo Valdez. Angering a god is not a good idea, and I'm not one that can easily be angered."

He straightened his collar and tie as Leo rose onto his feet, rubbing his forearms soothingly.

When Leo looked as if he had calmed enough to see sense, Hermes presented him with a letter. "Reason number one on why I'm here," the god said.

Leo ripped open the envelope and read the contents out loud:

_By order of the Olympian Council,_

_Let it be henceforth known that, at her own volition and request, **Calypso Valdez** (daughter of Atlas, the Titan holding up the sky) shall immediately be stripped of her immortality and be reduced to demigod status. She shall be allowed to keep her healing powers in life, though their strength shall be reduced greatly._

_Calypso Valdez's spirit shall be tied to **Mr. Leo Valdez**, son of Hephaestus—god of blacksmithing and fire—and Esperanza Valdez, for the remainder of her life and in eternal death. Neither she nor her husband shall be able to love any other (excluding family members) so strongly for all eternity, including rebirth (which is not recommended)._

_Good luck._

**_The Olympian Council_**

Below that were a bunch of scribbled names that Leo couldn't read. Except Hephaestus's. His signature was basically his name written in huge letters (which was pretty much how Leo signed his name).

Leo looked at Calypso, who was suffering on the couch wrapped up in her blanket. "So, that's what's wrong with her?" he asked Hermes.

The god nodded. "Yes. Calypso is in the process of becoming mortal as we speak. Which brings me to the other reason of why I'm here. Your wife needs to be on Ogygia while she turns mortal."

Leo froze. "Why?"

Hermes shrugged. "Something about her needing to break off her immortal tie in person? I honestly don't know. We don't get very many immortal-to-mortal cases. Usually it's the other way around."

Leo crouched down next to Calypso and fixed her falling blanket. "And after she's done? Will she be stuck again?"

Hermes shook his head. "Nope. When she becomes mortal, the island loses its magic and takes up roots—kinda like Delos did when Apollo and Artemis were born. It'll be open to the world. Plus, y'know, Calypso's already broken her curse, so what would stop her from leaving?"

Leo didn't say anything. He just stroked Calypso's hair. She did that to him when he wasn't feeling good or when he had nightmares. Now he was returning the favor.

"Also," the god continued, "you'll be needing to come along, Leo. She needs to be cared for and since her spirit will be bound to you, only you can be with her."

Leo nodded. "Yeah, okay…"

Then, he froze in mid-stroke. "Wait. Go to Ogygia with Calypso?"

"Yes."

"For however long this is going to take?"

"Yes."

"_Without_ my kids?"

"You've got it."

Leo spun around and glared at the god. "I have to keep searching for my kids. Y'know, the demititans Tulio and Esperanza Valdez? They need me!"

Hermes shook his head. "Their fate, at the moment, is not in your hands. I cannot tell you how, but they will be reunited with you soon. For now, they are both safe and sound."

"Where are they!?"

"Safe. And. Sound," Hermes repeated like Leo was a five-year-old. "Now, take Calypso's hand. I'll be delivering you two to Ogygia personally. Ready?"

Leo wanted to know more about his twins' whereabouts, but figured he'd annoyed the god enough already. _If Hermes said they'll be with us again soon, then I guess there's nothing else I can do…_

He took Calypso's hand and grasped it tightly. "Ready."

Hermes snapped his fingers and Leo and Calypso were surrounded by light. Within seconds, the only soul left in the Houston home was an unconscious teenage boy with an automaton leg.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: So, I'm thinking this version of **_**Papi_ might be a tad shorter, but idk just yet. We'll have to see. :)_**

**_As for Harley, let's just say he hadn't woken up enough to meet Leo, since the latter was out searching._**


	9. Rebirth or Something More Special?

**_Did anyone notice the new cover? That's eight-months-preggers-with-twins-Caleo :3_**

**_Sorry this took so long. I am still kind of stuck on what to do with the kids (and Harley, since I left his ass alone in Houston-whoops). I have a whole arc planned for Leo and Calypso, so I haven't been sitting on my ass with this. Sometimes it just takes a while for plot muses to smack me in the face. xD_**

**_Also, it doesn't help that the Keys has been taking up the most space in my brain. As I've said before, sometimes I have to keep one story's plot bunnies busy while letting the others take the sidelines._**

**_Anyway, here we go! Another chapter! Enjoy! :D_**

**_EDIT: Fixed Tulio's speech a bit. Like in _Papi_, he and Espie have clear speech, which is just how it is for them. It can happen that their speech isn't garbled or slurred. I was originally going for Duckie/Ptetri speech, but I guess that was too much. So, I fixed it._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids/Teens are mine._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Rebirth or Something More Special?<em>**

Piper cradled the little Leo in her arms. At the moment, she was waiting on Jason, Percy and a few other New Athenians to come into the Big House. Chiron had gone to get them, though it had taken a while to get him to do that. He had been extremely concerned about the boy she had brought.

Nyssa was sitting beside her, every once in a while twirling a finger through one of the boy's curls. No matter how much they tried, the boy wouldn't wake up. He just kept on sleeping. So, because they had no other name for him, Piper insisted this boy be called Leo—at least until he woke up.

Even though this was a really confusing situation, Piper couldn't help but coo at how cute Leo was. He was a little chubby in the face and belly. Piper felt like she wanted to squeeze and squish him, and blow raspberries into his tummy. Gods, Leo was so adorable!

Suddenly, Jason burst into the room. His eyes locked onto Leo and he paled slightly. Percy crashed into him from behind and the two children of the Big Three ended up on the floor. While they writhed on the ground, the summoned New Athenians—Nico di Angelo, Will Solace, and Jake Mason—just walked around them, their attention drawn to Leo.

Nico walked right up and gently patted the boy's head. "Is this Leo?"

Piper shrugged. "Can you sense if it is?"

Nico shook his head. "I sense spirits and death. I can't tell if someone is reborn. They're a whole new soul if they choose rebirth."

Will smiled and ruffled little Leo's head. "He's so cute!"

"Where did you find him?" Jake asked hesitantly.

"He just _appeared_ out of nowhere," Nyssa explained. "Right at the foot of Leo's statue."

Her voice hitched at Leo's name, like she was afraid that if she said it, the boy in Piper's arms would disappear.

Will stroked Leo's head, shaking him gently. "He won't wake up?"

"He groans like he doesn't wanna wake up," Piper said. "But in the end he won't."

The son of Apollo nodded. He brought out a tiny square of ambrosia and gently fed it to the boy.

Leo sputtered and leaned closer into Piper's embrace. He grumbled and scrunched up his face, clearly a grouchy little kid when forced to wake up.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes. As soon as he saw Piper, they widened.

Huge almond-colored eyes took in the scene around him: he was in Piper's arms, surrounded by a lot of people crowding around to get a better look at the little Latino.

Suddenly, he whined and cried, trying to wiggle out of Piper's grasp. Piper, startled, fumbled him before gently setting him down. Leo took off like a bullet out the Big House door.

For a little kid, he was extremely fast. Of course, someone might have caught him quicker if everyone hadn't been so startled by Leo's sudden cry.

Leo was screaming at the top of his lungs. Piper couldn't make out what he was screaming, but it sounded like he was calling for someone. The little boy stopped for a split second to get his bearings, spotted something, and ran to the left.

Piper let her gaze wander to what had caught his attention.

Wendy Black, the head of the Hecate Cabin, was sitting on aforementioned cabin's front steps, moping around. Ever since she had come back from the hydra mission, she and Fredrick had refused to talk to anyone about what happened. All they told Chiron was that Harley was still alive and being cared for. They wouldn't speak about anything else until the son of Hephaestus was returned safely to camp.

Leo was running right for her.

The daughter of Hecate looked up in surprise. All she got out was, "Huh?" before Leo ran up and hid behind her.

When the New Athenians caught up, Piper could hear Leo squealing, "Bad people! Go 'way! I want my Mommy and _Papi_!"

Wendy turned and wrapped her arms around the boy. She glared at everyone, yelling, "Back up! You're scaring him!"

Everyone backed up about a mile. Piper stood her ground, though. "I'm sorry," she said to the little Latino. "I'm sorry we scared you."

Leo whined and didn't look at Piper. He kept his face buried in Wendy's shoulder.

Wendy sighed. "I didn't know he was such a shy kid," she said. "This little guy seemed pretty confident a few days ago."

"You know this kid?" Nico asked.

Wendy nodded. "Back at the place Harley's staying at, there was a couple. The man ran an auto shop and the woman helped heal people and be hospitable to travelers. This is one of their kids. His name is…Tulio, right?"

That question had been directed at the little Leo. He nodded. "I Tulio," was his quiet response. "No call me Tui."

Wendy smiled and repeated his message. "Yeah, his name is Tulio. And he says to not call him Tui."

Piper felt a little relieved. At least this wasn't an age-digressed Leo. That would have been a nightmare.

But this Tulio kid could still possibly be a reborn form of him!

Jason spoke up, breaking Piper's thoughts. "What were the couple's names?"

"I didn't catch the man's name," the daughter of Hecate answered. "But the woman was actually a Titan! Can you believe that?"

"A Titan…" Percy echoed. "What do you mean 'Titan'?"

"She said she used to be stuck on some island for thousands of years or something and got freed by her husband. Said her name's Calypso."

Piper felt the breath leave her. Her knees felt like jelly.

_Calypso. As in the immortal girl Leo had fallen in love with! If she's free and has a kid that looks like this…then that must mean…!_

"What did the man look like?" Piper asked at rapid speed.

Wendy looked up in thought, then back down at Tulio. "A lot like this little guy, actually. Only with brown eyes, not almond. And he was pretty muscular, but that was probably because he worked in a forge. And he had stubble on his jaw."

"Was he kinda short?" Jason ventured.

"Yeah."

"You said you didn't catch his name," Nico said. "Did he still go by something? Give you any nickname to call him?"

Wendy nodded. "Yeah, he said to call him the 'Ultimate Repair Boy'," she said with a giggle. "He said he was a son of Hephaestus, and his wife said he was the best blacksmith, second only to Hephaestus himself. Sounded really high-and-mighty to me."

Piper was crying now. _Short, Latino son of Hephaestus with brown eyes and curly black hair…It can only be…_

"Leo," the whole group whispered. None of them could wrap their heads around it.

Leo was alive! He was married to his teenage crush, Calypso the Titan and—

—had a kid named Tulio.

Piper blinked at the kid, who was nervously staring at the group with wide eyes. She moved forward slowly and crouched down to his level. He eyed her warily, like she was going to sprout an extra head.

"Hello, Tulio," Piper said gently. "I'm a friend of your dad's."

"Wait," Wendy said. "His dad…" her face lit up in recognition. "Gods, I'm such an idiot! I can't believe that was Leo Valdez! I should have known…"

"That's okay," Piper said. "We still found out he's alive." She looked back at Tulio. "We won't hurt you, Tulio. I promise."

Tulio sized her up. Then, he moved away from Wendy to stand between the girls. Piper held out her hand. "I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite. It's nice to meet you, Tulio."

Tulio shook her hand. Piper was surprised he already had a strong grip.

"How old are you?" she ventured.

"Three and a half," Tulio said cutely.

"You are so cute!" Piper cooed at him and poked his tummy. Tulio giggled and his face lit up with a laugh. Piper was in awe of how much he looked like Leo when the son of Hephaestus had that rare 'true' smile—one that wasn't covering his (what he thought was) well-hidden pain.

That reminded her: Leo had been alive this whole time and started a family—and he hadn't even _contacted_ them!

She was going to make sure Leo stayed dead this time when he finally showed his impish face.

Piper picked Tulio up and introduced him to the surrounding New Athenians. Each person waved at him (even Nico, who had put on his best not-creepy smile) and gave him a compliment to show that they were friendly.

Tulio's face and mood brightened considerably. He giggled and clapped at the compliments, eager for the attention.

Piper wanted to keep this kid. That would teach Leo! But no, she couldn't do that, even if she thought Tulio would make an excellent big brother for Mark (currently being babysat at one of the New Athens day cares—along with all the other absent babies).

The air behind Jason shimmered. The whole group stepped back as one and gathered to see what was happening.

A rainbow appeared, and soon a face popped up: Frank's.

Frank's face was red, his skin wet with sweat. "Piper…" he huffed. "I need you to do something _right now_."

The daughter of Aphrodite blinked. "What?"

The Iris Message moved and a bonfire came into view. Sammy Leo was crouched beside it holding out a stick with a marshmallow. Piper could see the Leo statue of New Rome in the background.

Frank's voice echoed through the message. "She's been like this for hours. A Mercury legacy actually came over and gave Sammy a bag of marshmallows to roast. I made him go get Reyna, Hazel and Annabeth a while back, but so far they haven't come. Can you please make her calm down?"

"Her?" Piper squinted against the harsh fire light. Eventually she made out a human shape within the flames, a soft sobbing coming from the same area.

It dawned on Piper that little Tulio wasn't the only child of Leo Valdez. That little girl (she hoped that was a girl) was definitely a fire user and Frank must have freaked her out.

She looked at Tulio. "Is that your sister?" she asked.

The Latino nodded. "Espie!" he called. "Espie!"

Espie either didn't hear him or didn't listen. Piper sighed and called out in her charmspeak voice, "Espie! Settle down right now!"

The fire retreated a bit. The shape began to get clearer. Piper could definitely see it was a little girl. Her pigtails smoked fiercely inside the flames.

Piper thought for a second and smiled. "Are you being bad, Espie? I wonder what your father would think if he saw you."

The light went out within milliseconds. Piper blinked away the spots.

A little Latina girl sat inside a black circle of what was once the fire-flower-moat of the Leo Valdez Garden in New Rome. Her big brown eyes were puffy and red, her slightly chubby cheeks stained with tears. Her curly black hair, held up in two ponytails, was still smoking. A little Scooby-Doo Band-Aid adorned her knee.

"Don't tell _Papi_," she whimpered.

Frank sighed and entered the frame again. "Thanks, Piper. Mind if I get back to you about this? I just want to make sure she's okay."

Piper nodded. "That's fine. We're still trying to figure something out over here." She locked eyes with the little girl. "You behave for Frank. He's a nice guy. He won't hurt you."

Espie nodded, not really paying attention to Piper. She had turned to stare at Sammy, who was pouting at how he had lost his marshmallow-roaster.

The mist dissipated.

Piper sighed and bounced Tulio on her hip. "You won't do that, will you?"

"What?" Tulio asked with wide eyes.

"Explode into flames."

Tulio shook his head, his curls flying madly. "Nope, nope! I can't do that! I make things hot! No fire for me."

Piper heard a collective sigh. She smiled, knowing everyone was afraid of a complete Leo 2.0.

"Okay, then," she said. "Why don't you share what happened and how you got here?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Phew, that took way to long for me to write. Ah well, it's here now! Hope y'all enjoyed it!**_

_**Was that better in Tulio's speaking parts?**_


	10. Call Me Espie

**_Phew. Sorry for the long wait, guys. Writer's block on how to begin this stupid chapter plus the moodiness I've had lately built up and prevented me from sitting down and writing this sucker. Well, my job also kinda got in the way, too._**

**_Sorry it's short, I know you guys want more after that long wait. I can't really do anything more with it._**

**_ON THE PLUS SIDE: I'm already halfway done with the next chapter!_**

**_My threat still stands from the Keys. DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO UPDATE FASTER! DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD ADD! My life, my _job_, comes first above this. Remember that._**

**_That being said, you guys posting a review and at the end putting in a 'hope you update soon' is fine with me. I just don't like reviews with just "Update now" in them. Annoying and rude._**

**_Here you go! Back in New Rome!_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine.**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Call Me Espie<em>**

Frank silently thanked the gods for Piper's charmspeak. If she hadn't calmed the little girl down, New Rome might have burned down.

"So," he tried. "Your name is Espie?"

The little girl was currently staring at Sammy Leo with wide brown eyes. They were so big, Frank actually wondered if her eyes would pop out. It took him a minute to realize she was staring at his son's little afro of curly black hair.

Frank chuckled. "Sammy, I think she likes your hair."

Sammy Leo's eyebrows shot up and he backed away. The girl took that as a hint to get closer and reached out to touch his hair.

"Wanna touch," she said, climbing on top of Sammy.

Sammy squealed, "No!"

The two little kids rolled around in the burned flowers. They bumped into Leo's statue a couple times.

Frank looked up at the statue and realized something about the IM he had just sent Piper…

Piper had a similar child in her arms! One that looked exactly like Leo!

He turned to the tumbling children. "Sweetheart," he began again. "Your name is Espie, right?"

The little girl finally registered Frank and paused. She was currently straddling Sammy Leo, her fingers entwined in the afro. Sammy was pouting; clearly he was offended at having a girl beat him in strength.

"Yes," she said with a cute little squeak. "My name Esperanza. Call me Espie!"

She grinned in an unsettling way. Frank recognized it as Leo's grin. Espie and the statue were grinning in the exact same way.

"Is your father named Leo?" Frank asked.

Espie nodded. "Yup! _Papi_'s name Leo! Mommy's name Calypso!"

Frank blinked in surprise. _So Leo went and did it! He rescued Calypso and had children! He's alive!_

Relief flooded Frank's body. For years he had dealt with the knowledge of Leo's plan to kill himself in the final battle. Hazel had been worse when it came to dealing with it. But they had gone through the turmoil together, and their friends understood that it ultimately wasn't their fault.

It still hurt knowing he might have been able to do something before Leo went suicidal on Gaea. Frank always wished that he could have prevented that end, but he and Hazel both knew that Leo would never have allowed it any other way. If anyone else had been in the vicinity, Leo would have blown a gasket and Gaea might not have been defeated in time.

Frank took a step toward the kids.

Espie squealed and backed off of Sammy, running to hide behind Leo's statue.

"What's the matter?" Frank asked. "I didn't do anything."

"Stranger danger," Espie said. "You a stranger!"

Frank wanted to facepalm so badly. "You went right up to my son Sammy just fine!"

Espie looked at Sammy Leo and then back at Frank. "He not big! You big and scary! Big and scary stranger!"

The son of Mars sighed. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. Gods knew he didn't need a Mercury kid to randomly see him do this.

Frank transformed into a fluffy bunny. He hopped over to Espie, who was gazing at him with the biggest eyes Frank had ever seen—they were even bigger than before.

Espie gently picked up bunny-Frank and began cuddling him. She squealed in delight at Frank's softness and hugged him. The son of Mars was impressed at how gentle she was being. He had expected the little girl to be about as gentle as the Sasquatch guy from Looney Tunes.

"So cute!" Espie squealed. "You so cute! Not big or scary anymore!"

Sammy Leo toddled over and started petting Frank, too. Frank tried not to sigh at how awkward this was, but as long as Espie was calm, she wouldn't catch fire. And at least now she would be calm around him in human form—hopefully.

At last, as he looked over Espie's shoulder (past her curly black hair) Frank saw four figures heading into the garden. The Mercury kid was in the lead, followed closely by Reyna, Annabeth, and Hazel.

Frank wiggled out of Espie's grip and hopped over to the group. Reyna dismissed the Mercury child and picked up bunny-Frank with an amused expression.

"Cute," she mused.

Annabeth chuckled, tickling Frank's whiskers with a finger. "That guy told us there was a fire. You fought it with bunny-powers?"

Frank twitched his nose in annoyance. He wanted to transform, but Reyna was still holding him. She could be pretty scary, so annoying her and suddenly transforming in her arms might be a bad idea.

Hazel took bunny-Frank into her own arms. She set him down carefully. "What's with the rabbit thoughts?"

Frank hopped back to the children. Espie squealed and picked him up again.

He watched with amusement as Hazel's eyes widened in recognition. Reyna cocked an eyebrow and Annabeth's jaw dropped.

Hazel walked slowly over to Espie. The Latina backed up again, but Frank angled his ears and nuzzled her, letting her know Hazel was safe.

Espie seemed to understand the gesture somehow and let Hazel come closer.

"Hello," Hazel said, smiling sweetly. "My name is Hazel. What's your name?"

"Esperanza," she said. "Espie is better."

"Espie's a very pretty name."

"Thank you," Espie said, swaying a little. "_Papi_ named me Espie."

"And who is your _Papi_?"

"His name Leo."

Hazel's jaw dropped. Frank inwardly snickered, his whiskers twitching in amusement.

Annabeth stepped closer this time, putting on her motherly face. "Hello, Espie. My name is Annabeth. You said _Leo_ was your father?"

"Yes." Espie grinned, which proved her heritage without a doubt.

Annabeth had a thoughtful look on her face. "Is your mother's name Calypso, by any chance?"

Espie nodded.

Annabeth smiled and exchanged a happy glance with Hazel. "Looks like we found out Leo's alive."

Hazel sighed in relief. "That is a _huge_ weight off my conscience!"

"No one blamed you or Frank," Reyna assured her. "We all agreed that Leo chose his fate, regardless of you two knowing about it."

Frank—now being held hostage in bunny-form—nodded.

Espie eyed the Roman warily. Reyna caught the eye and nodded her head. "My name is Reyna." She held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Esperanza."

Espie didn't shake her hand. She just looked Reyna right in the eye and said, "Espie."

Hazel and Annabeth giggled. Hazel said, "Wow, she's not even _slightly_ scared of you!"

Reyna sighed and moved a bit further away.

Hazel patted Frank's head. "So, Espie," she began. "How old are you?"

"Three and a half!" She said this with extreme pride. "November is mine and Tui's birthday."

"Tui?" Hazel asked.

"Tui is my brother!" Espie grimaced a bit. "He icky."

Annabeth giggled. "Yeah, brothers can be annoying. I have a bunch of step-brothers, and they were annoying for a long time."

"They get better?" Espie asked.

"Not really," Annabeth conceded. "You just learn to deal with boys' stupidity."

Espie laughed. It was a cute and pure laugh, which made Frank feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Tui, huh?" Reyna mused. "Must be short for something. Is it?"

"His name Tulio. I call him Tui. He doesn't like it." Espie gave the girls an unsettling little grin.

Annabeth nodded. "That's how you deal with brothers. Keep that up and he'll stay in line!"

Hazel sighed. "All these years and Leo's been raising two kids…Do you know what that means?"

Reyna nodded. "Piper is going to murder him when he shows up."

The girls all laughed. Sammy Leo and Espie exchanged a glance, not knowing what the joke was.

Hazel picked Espie up and balanced her on her hip. "Why don't we head over to a tea shop," she said. "And on the way you can tell us how you got here."

Espie grinned, still gently clutching bunny-Frank.

"Okay! This is what happened…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Blegh. Didn't like this chapter, but had to get through it. Next chapter will be up sooner, I promise!**_


	11. Ma Gasket's Revenge?

**_Ha ha! Two hours! New record!_**

**_You guys waited long enough for the last chapter, so here's the reward: a second chapter! Hope you all like it!_**

**_I realize it might get confusing and possibly redundant near the end. Sorry for that._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids are mine.**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Ma Gasket's Revenge?<em>**

Tulio and Esperanza explained their misadventure to the bystanders in New Rome and New Athens. While Tulio informed the New Athenians and Chiron in the Big House, Espie shared ice cream with the New Romans, bunny-Frank sitting on her lap. The story-telling was quite difficult, as both twins had ADHD and were highly distracted by everything that passed by their vision. Their three-year-old speak didn't help things either.

So, to avoid hours of explanation on what happened, here is the memory:

* * *

><p><em>Tulio and Esperanza whimpered within the grasp of the huge Cyclops that held them. Torque was his name. He was the only brother to reform so far, but his Ma had insisted they do this kidnapping thing now.<em>

_Speaking of whom, the female Cyclops grunted and started dragging a tiny cage out of the shadows. They were currently in a relocated Monocle Motors, somewhere far away from Houston, but obviously not in the same area as the last shop. That would be predictable and stupid—something Ma Gasket didn't want to be known as ever again._

_She had been downright humiliated in Tartarus. She had gotten called Engine-Eye or Ma Splatsket by most of the other monsters. Her son Torque hadn't fared that well either, eventually seeking her out. She held on to Torque tighter than before now._

_When she had learned about that blasted son of Hephaestus living in Houston from a random _empousa_, Ma Gasket got a serious hankering for some revenge. Then the _empousa_ mentioned Leo Valdez had children of his own, and the female Cyclops knew how to get that revenge._

_"Put 'em in here," she instructed Torque. "Then get the fire stoked."_

_Torque threw the kids roughly into the little cage and slammed the door. When he left, Ma Gasket stuck her ugly face through the bars._

_"You kids are tiny, just like your father," she growled. "Maybe I'll fatten you up before we eat you."_

_The twins cowered, not because they were about to be eaten, but because Ma Gasket had just assaulted them with a combination of ugliness and bad breath. The shied away from her._

_"Pee-yew," Espie complained. "You don't brush your teeth!"_

_"Yucky!" Tulio agreed. "_Papi_ says to always brush your teeth! No cavities!"_

_Ma Gasket huffed. "Brats. As annoying as your father!"_

_She left to go get some random food. She figured she _should_ fatten those two up, or at least stuff their mouths so they wouldn't talk._

_"Espie," Tulio whispered. "Fire?"_

_Espie got the hint and shot a tiny flame at the bars. They didn't budge. She tried the strength her Mommy had taught her to use if something big fell on either her or her _Papi_. Nothing._

_"You try," she encouraged her brother._

_Tulio stepped up and grabbed the bars. He tried using his strength, but no dice. He kept a hold of them and heated up his hands. He had learned that when he heated up his hands to a really hot temperature, things would melt. Tulio sometimes liked to shape things with the melted metal and his _Papi_ encouraged him to do that, just not with wooden things or anything that looked like it didn't belong in the shop._

_When he tried to melt the bars, they didn't even heat up. Tulio had never seen metal like that before. He sat back down and started crying._

_"_Papi_…" he whined. "Want…_Papi_…"_

_Espie hugged him and cried, too. "I want Mommy!"_

_"SHUT UP OVER THERE!" Ma Gasket threatened at the other end of the shop._

_The twins shut up for a few seconds. Then, Espie had an idea._

_"Tui," she whispered. "Tui!"_

_Tulio grumbled, "No call me Tui."_

_"Tui, listen." She spread her arms out wide. "Go poof!"_

_Tulio stared at her like she was an alien. "Poof?"_

_"Yes!" She smacked her lips together, making a popping noise. "Poof poof!"_

_"Telliepoof?"_

_"Yes!"_

_Tulio grinned. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! We poof out!"_

_Then, he scrunched up his eyebrows. "Poof out to where?"_

_Espie thought about it for a second, then said, "To home! To _Papi_!"_

_Tulio nodded. He took Espie's hands in his. "Dun' let go," he instructed._

_Espie smiled. "'Kay."_

_Tulio concentrated. He felt his teleportation powers build up. He envisioned their home in Houston, their parents waiting for them at the front door, Festus sitting in the forge, always on watch and alert for danger._

_The power peaked and the twins disappeared with a _POP_!_

_Ma Gasket heard the pop and turned to find an empty cage._

_"NOOOO!" She howled._

* * *

><p><em>Tulio and Espie woke up in a place that wasn't their home in Houston.<em>

_It was a forge, far bigger than Leo's. Someone was sitting on a workbench in front of the twins._

_"Gandad!" they exclaimed together._

_Hephaestus looked up and nodded. "Great, it worked." He patted some sort of instrument. "I knew you'd try teleporting eventually. Figured I'd try this out on you two."_

_"What?" Tulio asked._

_The god glanced between the instrument and the twins. "Too complicated for you kids to understand. It's just a teleportation-interrupter. It interrupted your teleportation path and brought you here."_

_The twins both cocked their heads._

_Hephaestus shook his head. "Told you. Too young. Anyway, I interrupted your little 'poof' for a reason. Your father has been running from many things in his life. When your parents moved to Houston, he had stopped running and faced many of his personal demons. But he has yet to face something. It's time he returned to the rest of his family."_

_The kids blinked as the god continued._

_"I'm going to split you two up. Don't argue," he chided as they were about to complain. "Esperanza, you'll be going to California. Tulio, to New York. You'll meet your father's friends in those places. You need to bring them to Houston."_

_"Why?" Tulio asked._

_"Well, first to get your uncle. Your hydra friend—Steve, wasn't it?—can take care of him for a short while, but of course my son needs to come home. Secondly, there will be someone there with the means to take you to your father and mother."_

_"They aren't home?" Espie asked._

_"Forgot to mention that." Hephaestus fiddled with something in his hands. "Your parents are at your mother's original home. When you bring Leo's friends to Houston, you can get to that place."_

_"So," Espie drawled, "We go to different places, then go home, then go to another place?"_

_"Complicated," Tulio said, rubbing his head._

_"I realize it's a lot to take in," Hephaestus mumbled, still tinkering with something. "Just know that your father's friends can take you home."_

_"Why do we do this, Gandad?" Tulio asked._

_"I said this earlier. Your father needs to face the rest of his demons. He needs to be fully happy among his old friends."_

_The twins nodded, still not understanding. The god sighed, his beard sparking._

_"Just do it, kids," he said flatly. "I care about your family enough to see that my son needs to be happy. You have brought him happiness, but it's not enough. He needs his friends to truly find inner peace._

_"So, go find his friends and bring them to Houston. Got it?"_

_The twins nodded. "Yes," they said together._

_"Good." Hephaestus pushed a couple of buttons on the original machine. "Resetting your coordinates. Sorry, Tulio, this is gonna take a lot of your energy. Hopefully you get a nice long rest when you touchdown in New York."_

_Tulio grimaced. Even the shortest of jumps made him sleepy. His Mommy always said practice would make it better, but he was always scared of ending up somewhere completely different._

_He and Espie felt lighter. Hephaestus gave them a thumbs-up. "Good luck, kids."_

_And with one final push of a button, the twins became separated. Tulio was sent to New Athens's Leo statue. Esperanza got teleported to New Rome's Leo statue._

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Ah...plot! FINALLY! :D**_


	12. Burn

**_Geeze so sorry. There's this thing called a job that keeps getting in my way. That, and the Keys is definitely keeping me busy, along with all the other random stories that just pop up out of nowhere :P_**

**_Anyway, this chapter may seem a little random, but trust me, there's a reason behind what Leo goes through._**

**_PS I'm so sorry this one is a little on the short side of my usual chapter lengths._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids/Teens are mine.**_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Burn<em>**

Leo found himself standing on the familiar shores of Ogygia. He was cradling Calypso in his arms like when she was his new bride.

She was unconscious and pale. Leo's breath hitched at her terrible state.

He walked off the beach and to the cave Calypso used to live in. The invisible servants were moving around cleaning the place, like they hadn't realized their mistress had even left.

He set her gently on the bed, tucking her into the sheets and fluffing up her pillow.

Leo found a chair and sat next to his wife, holding her hand. "You'll be okay, _mi sol_," he promised. "When you wake up, you'll be mortal. And I'll be right here. I swear I won't leave you…"

Exhaustion crashed into him suddenly. Maybe it was the magical teleportation? Whatever the reason, Leo yawned and leaned onto the side of the bed. He crossed his arms and placed his head on top of them.

"I swear I'll be here for you, _mi sol_," he muttered. "I swear…" he yawned. "…on the River Styx…"

Leo drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>Pain racked through Leo's body. Mini explosions boomed and broke his bones from the inside. Every cell in his body had exploded.<p>

Leo knew this pain. It was the pain he had felt when he died. Only ten times worse.

_"You broke your Oath…"_

"No," he shouted. He couldn't see or move. His voice was ragged, growing weaker. "I returned to her…!"

_"Your broken Oath shall burn you."_

Leo felt even more explosions go off inside of him. He tried to scream, but now his voice was gone. Flames erupted into his vision and a woman's face was inches from his:

Gaea's.

She was asleep, just as she had been when Leo first met her. But her whole face was surrounded and fused with fire, which made her even scarier.

_"Burn with me,"_ she said. _"You will burn with me for eternity, Leo Valdez."_

Leo tried to move, to get away from the flaming earth goddess, but nothing worked. Gaea's face moved even closer. She opened her mouth wide.

_"Burn…Burn…BURN!"_

She swallowed him whole, and Leo's body exploded for real.

* * *

><p>Leo found himself back in Monocle Motors. Flaming Cyclopes surrounded him.<p>

Ma Gasket, her one big eye pure white and flaming, had her hands above her fat head. A large car engine was held between them.

Leo tried to move, but his limbs were still stuck.

_"Burn with us,"_ all three said at once.

"N-no…" he tried. "S-s…top…"

Ma Gasket held the engine higher. _"Burn, son of Hephaestus."_

_"Only you can stop this," _one of the sons—Sump, was it?—growled.

_"Burn," _Ma Gasket snarled.

She dropped the engine right on Leo's head.

* * *

><p>Leo snapped his eyes open. He was in Boreas's palace, surrounded by frozen soldiers. It took a moment for him to realize that he, too, was frozen solid! He willed for his temperature to rise, to melt the ice.<p>

An orange-glowing Khione stepped out of the shadows and into his line of sight. She was smoking, and her face was in pain. No doubt it was because of the heat.

_"If I burn, you burn with me,"_ she howled.

Leo felt the heat rise within the ice. His skin tingled and sizzled. Flames appeared and licked his frostbitten skin. It actually _hurt_!

_"Burn with me!"_

The flames surrounded Leo, growing in intensity. Leo wanted to scream, but his insides felt like they were still frozen. White-hot flames encased him and he was blinded.

* * *

><p>And suddenly Leo was back in a horrible place. He was little again, just an eight-year-old, still banging on the door to his mother's workshop.<p>

The dark Earth mother was behind him, watching as Leo's small form burst into flames.

Gaea laughed. It was so terrible it rattled Leo's tiny bones.

Leo turned and saw the terrible goddess, once again flaming. She scowled, her eyes closed.

Then, her form changed. Smoke curled around her figure, changing her dress to work overalls. Her root-like hair became curly, and her face became slightly older.

Leo sobbed and fell to his knees.

His mother stood before him now, the flames and smoke so intense she looked as if she were Hera going into her true immortal form. Her eyes opened and flaming irises glared down at the small boy.

_"You did this,"_ she said in a low voice.

"N-no…" Leo's voice was so small, he barely heard himself.

_"You can stop this,"_ his mother continued. _"Burn. Get out. Burn."_

Leo curled into a ball on the ground. All the previous voices that had haunted him—his mother's, Ma Gasket's, Torque's, Sump's, Khione's, and Gaea's—began to swirl around him. The flames followed and engulfed him again, more than before. His tears seared through his cheeks like lava, his cries screeching, twisted with pain.

_"Burn."_

_"Get out."_

_"Stop this."_

_"Burn."_

_"Leave."_

_"BURN!"_

* * *

><p>Leo gasped and shot up into a sitting position. His heart was beating a million miles an hour. His vision was kind of blurry, but Leo couldn't bother with that.<p>

He stood up shakily, using the bedframe to steady himself. The voices, though not as intense, swirled in his mind again.

_"You can stop this, Leo Valdez," _they seemed to say. _"Take a breather. Go outside and just leave. If you keep staying here you will burn up. Leave."_

Leo felt like obeying the voices. His internal temperature was rising fast, and soon he really would catch fire.

"Outside," he mumbled. "Yeah…"

Somewhere in the back of his mind, something was telling him to stay. He hesitated every few steps towards the entrance. Why was he in a cave again? Why did he need to stay?

"Maybe I should stay in here…" he tried.

_"And risk burning up?" _the voices—which seemed to have reduced to just one—challenged._ "Fresh air could do you good. You have nothing to make you stay. Leave."_

Leo was still hesitating. Why did he feel the urge to turn around? Was there something there?

_"Go on," _the voices urged. Then, in such a small tone that Leo almost didn't catch it, they said, _"Leave her. Betray your promise to love._"

Leo couldn't even process the statement. He was almost to the entranceway.

"I guess some fresh air wouldn't hurt," he muttered to himself, feeling dazed.

He raised his foot to go outside.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Oh dear...another cliffy...what a shocker :3**_

_**A little fast, I know, but I can't seem to drag any of that out.**_


End file.
